Emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from diesel engine in a bus station, Londrina, Brazil

The concentrations of vapor phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured at the Central Bus Station of Londrina, where only diesel-powered vehicles circulate. The samples were collected within a period of 24 h for 14 consecutive days in January 2002. The semi-volatile PAHs were collected using a cartridge packed with XAD-2 resin, extracted under sonication and subsequently analyzed by gas chromatograph equipped with the flame ionization and mass spectrometer detectors (GC-FID and GC/MS). Ten PAH compounds were found (naphthalene, acenapthylene, acenapthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene and chrysene). The average concentrations ranged from 1.4±0.3 ng m−3 for benzo(a)anthracene to 348.0±32.7 ng m−3 for phenanthrene. The species that presented higher concentration were phenanthrene (348.0±32.7 ng m−3), fluorene (140.2±17.3 ng m−3) and naphthalene (97.7±10.3 ng m−3). The PAHs with two and three rings were responsible by 90.2% of the total concentration among 10 PAHs. The concentrations of PAHs were lower on Sunday in comparison with the workdays, due to the reduction of bus traffic in the station. Correlations and principal component analysis with Varimax rotation were used to estimate the local PAH emission source profile originating from the diesel exhaust. The ratio PHEN/FLU of 2.5 calculated from the results is suggested as indication from diesel combustion exhaust.